Just look left while driving up U.S. Highway 12 west of Lolo and you can't miss the 18-wheeler with a highly detailed 53-foot mural that includes colorful portraits of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacagawea and her son, Jean Bapiste.
Starting Thursday morning, there will also be a host of folks dressed in 1800s garb wandering about a number of large canvas tents scattered around the park as it becomes ground zero for the continuing celebration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
In between, visitors to the park will have a chance to immerse themselves in the expedition. Experts on a dizzying array of subjects surrounding the historic jaunt will be ready to share their tales in the Tent of Many Voices. Others will set up housekeeping in different locations around the park to demonstrate long-lost pioneer skills like brain tanning, flint knapping and porcupine quillwork. And the evenings will be filled with music and even more stories.
"It doesn't matter what time of the day people arrive, there will be things going on over the course of those four days," said Loren Flynn, executive director of the Travelers' Rest Preservation and Heritage Association. "It should be a lot of fun."
Exhibits open at 10 a.m. each morning and the last program is typically scheduled for 7 p.m.
There will be plenty of opportunity for people to visit and learn about the variety of cultures that have crossed paths at Travelers' Rest, said Flynn.
"At our site, we'll have a number of interpreters demonstrating traditional trades of things like brain tanning, soap making and flint knapping," he said. "That's what we try to encourage here. It's not so much about letting us tell you about things, but instead, let's have a conversation."
"Our demonstrators allow visitors an opportunity to come and sit down and ask questions," said Flynn. "It adds a little bit of flavor to the experience."
The park is fortunate to have a host of "wonderful interpreters - some are paid and some are volunteers," he said. "They all do a wonderful job."
On top of that, visitors have the chance to experience the Corps of Discovery II exhibit, which has been traveling along the Lewis and Clark Trail since early 2003, when it opened at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello near Charlottesville, Va.
This spring, the exhibit began its voyage in North Dakota, following a side trip down south to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
The mobile exhibit is designed to provide visitors with an introduction to the Lewis and Clark story, including information on natural history, cultural resources and the people of our nation before, during and after the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. It typically stays in a community from four days to two weeks.
A trailer transports the exhibit, which includes tents, staging, chairs, exhibits, lighting and audio equipment. It also carries a 30-ton heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system to ensure visitors are comfortable when they come to learn a bit about this country's history.
Visitation has varied from city to city, said Brayden Mitchell, the exhibit's logistics coordinator.
"We're starting to get back into the school season, and so we hope that we'll see lots of school buses showing up," Mitchell said.
Schedule of events
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took respite along Lolo Creek 200 years ago this week. Not so for modern-day visitors to Travelers' Rest State Park.
The schedule of bicentennial events planned for this Thursday through Sunday is packed with song, dance and stories - more than we can print here.
We'll get you started with a sampling of the festivities. For the full schedule, look on the Web at http://www.travelersrest.org
Throughout the weekend, historical re-enactors will be on hand to provide an authentic look at life on the trail west 200 years ago.
Everything is free and open to the public. Bring your curiosity, and a lawn chair.
Thursday, Sept. 8
10 a.m.: "Music of the Expedition," Tent of Many Voices.
11 a.m.: Opening ceremonies and native American drumming, ceremonial grounds.
Noon: "The Salish People Meet the L&C Expedition," Tony Incashola, Tent of Many Voices.
1 p.m.: "Montana Wildlife Yesterday and Today," Vince Yannone, Tent of Many Voices.
2 p.m.: "Pre-Lewis and Clark Native American Cultures" panel, Tent of Many Voices.
3 p.m.: "Post-Lewis and Clark Native American Cultures" panel, Tent of Many Voices.
5 p.m.: "Songs, Stories and Sodbusters," William Rossiter, Tent of Many Voices.
7-9 p.m.: "An Evening with Jack Gladstone," ceremonial grounds.
Friday, Sept. 9
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: "Then and Now," Montana Army National Guard, exhibit.
10-4 p.m.: Demonstrations of brain tanning, porcupine quillwork and candle making, on the Travelers' Rest self-guided trail.
10:30 a.m.: "Trails, Tales and Travelers' Rest," Norman Jacobson, Travelers' Rest Visitor Center.
11 a.m.: "Rediscovering the Lolo Trail," Milo McLeod, Tent of Many Voices.
11:30 a.m.: "How Fire Shaped Lewis and Clark's West," Jack Puckett, Travelers' Rest Visitor Center.
2 p.m.: "Indian Education - Traditional to Boarding Schools," Tent of Many Voices.
5 p.m.: "Verification of Travelers' Rest Campsite," Dan Hall, Tent of Many Voices.
7 p.m.: Music with Ritchie Doyle and John Joyner.
Saturday, Sept. 10
10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Traditional Native American games.
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Demonstrations of brain tanning, porcupine quillwork, flintknapping and basket making.
11 a.m.: "A Woman's Work is Never Done," Sandi McFarland, Tent of Many Voices.
Noon-6 p.m.: Dutch oven cooking.
1 p.m.: "Music and Blackfeet Culture," Jack Gladstone, Tent of Many Voices.
1 p.m.: "Kids Only Tour of Travelers' Rest," Darby Bramble, Travelers' Rest Visitor Center.
4 p.m.: "Music and Blackfeet Culture," Jack Gladstone, Tent of Many Voices.
7 p.m.: "What This Place Means to Us," Travelers' Rest group.
Sunday, Sept. 11
10 a.m.: "The Lewis and Clark Traveling Medicine Show," Mike Crosby, Tent of Many Voices.
11 a.m.: Park dedication ceremony, ceremonial grounds.
Noon-4 p.m.: Drumming and dancing, ceremonial grounds.
Noon-3 p.m.: Firearms demonstrations, Travelers' Rest Brigade, re-enactment area.
12:30 p.m.: "All Trails Lead to Travelers' Rest," Stuart Cook, Travelers' Rest Visitor Center.
2 p.m.: "Indian Health - Changes in the Wind," Salish-Kootenai Health Service, Tent of Many Voices.
3:30 p.m.: "What the Latrine REALLY Means," Darby Bramble, Travelers' Rest Visitor Center.
4 p.m.: Closing ceremonies and re-enactment, ceremonial grounds.
5:30 p.m.: Silent auction and social hour, University Center Ballroom, University of Montana.
7 p.m.: "Lewis and Clark's New Look," Gary Moulton, University Center Ballroom.
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